Forwards and Attachments Warning — Please Read

One of emails biggest irritants is the world of attachments. Attachments are the easiest way to get a virus. One of our friends just got another virus by assuming that if an attachment came from a friend, it is OK to open it. WRONG! Attachments are frequently forwarded and re-forwarded – you never know where they’ve been and what kind of crud they picked up. If you want to be safe, never open an attachment. You won’t get a virus from an email with an attachment UNLESS you open the attachment. If you don’t have virus protection, go to www.avast.com and download their excellent free virus control.

Another attachment irritant is getting attachments that are too big. The other day I got one that was almost 5000 K.B. (normal email is 5 K.B.). It took 20 minutes for the email to come in. If you feel you have to send someone a picture, you need to reduce it to 1/3 of its size before you send it. If you don’t know how to do that, don’t send it until you write me and ask how to reduce it. To be a good emailer, don’t send an attachment unless it is a picture you took yourself, have reduced it to one-third and have saved it in jpg. format. If you don’t know how to do all three of those things, it would be better if you didn’t send the picture. If I send an attachment with an E-Cheer, I’ll tell you in advance that I’m sending it and that it is OK to open it.

Some folks think they have to forward every cutesy thing that comes along. They don’t bother to check the KB size – they just blindly send it. That’s not good email netiquette. Please resist the urge to forward all the cutesy stuff you get by email. Number one, it may irritate the recipient who has to wait for the download; No.2, it has probably been forwarded many times and there is a good likelihood that it carries a virus; No. 3, you have no idea whether or not the recipient has a good virus protection program; No. 4, most people who forward don’t bother to eliminate all those forwarding addresses. That should be declared illegal, because you are sending people’s e-addresses to all kinds of people without their permission.

I know I’ve talked with you about these issues before, but some folks still refuse the advice and send you and me attachments that ignore all of the above issues. I rarely open attachments, so please don’t send them.

If you have problems with frequent unwanted forwards, send this email to the sender.

— Dave George, Citrus Springs, FL, who is a stroke victim who sent daily pieces of encouragement via e-mail.